(12-14-2018) Today I entered the park on the Bay Head Road side with the intention of traversing Corcoran Woods through the middle – from entrance to entrance – ending up on the Tydings Road side and then returning the same way. The weather was foggy all day and this gave the cold woods a particularly spooky appearance.

While doing this, I took a few detours along the way. After entering the park, I headed straight ahead towards the middle. Heading east on that Fire Road, which is an unpaved path (there are no paved roads), comes to a T and you must go north or south.

I turned north and ended up at the bamboo area, where large swaths of bamboo were removed. It is very open here and sits along the northern fence line bordering many homes. I saw a variety of deer along the way, disturbing them from their afternoon slumber. They all ran off before I could get good photos of them, with their white tails bobbing up and down as then sped away.

From there, I retraced my steps south, past the T and explored some other pathways. I normally have a fairly good sense of direction, so even though I did not bring my map this time, I had a general idea of where I was based on my memory of the map and my past experience walking the fence line.

My meandering took me just about back to the entrance on Bay Head Road.

At this time, I decided to go ahead and cut straight across the middle towards the opposite entrance on Tydings Road. This route took me through a very flooded part of the woods, where the Fire Road was essentially a pond. It was not very deep, but I had to be careful where I stepped, even in my Muck Boots. It was easy to see where the deep spots where because they were very dark. The shallower areas which were good for walking had fallen branches and leaves that were visible.

I eventually reached the other entrance on Tydings Road. At this point, I turned around and retraced my route back to Bay Head Road. The cross route along the Fire Road that cuts through the middle of Corcoran Woods took me about 25 minutes to walk. There are many pathways through the woods and my next objective is to walk some loops where my rubber boots are not needed!

In the following photos, you will notice acres of planting tubes. Some of the explanation for these comes from the Sandy Point State Park website: “Recent visitors to Corcoran Woods have likely encountered a nearly 17-acre portion of the forest that has been cleared. This is the first step in a multi-year effort to restore and reforest portions of Corcoran that have been overrun with numerous invasive and exotic vine species that have all but choked out the native forests. Through mechanical means, a local contractor is working with park management to clear these areas and make them ready to replant with native trees in the upcoming year. Other areas will be restored and managed through the use of safe and appropriate herbicides to eliminate or control the spread of invasive vines.”

A note of special concern to any visitor are the tick warnings. There are metal signs on the gates that recommend tick repellent. In winter after the frosts, ticks are not really a problem. But during the warm months, this can be a big issue. This note on the Native Tree Society website really alarmed me: “Another serious problem is the unusual abundance of deer ticks; up to three dozen were found daily. This health hazard is a deterrent to nature interpretation or scientific study of the property.  Fence repair, new gate design, deer exclusion and treated cotton for control of ticks on mice might be considered.” I think I may have discovered why this spooky park is not more popular. It is inhabited my tiny monsters most of the year. These mini killers are dormant in the winter, so I am not fearful now, unless of course I see a ghost in the misty shadows.

After discovering Corcoran Woods by accident, I visited the area a couple of times and only for about 20 minutes each. There are two entrances. The first time I entered was on Tydings Road and the second was on Bay Head Road. I only stopped by briefly and was determined to visit again for a long walk. Today was that day.

Before my walk, I made a visit to Sandy Point State Park Headquarters to get some pointers regarding my visit. The very helpful staff gave me a handful of information, which included a map and other print-outs (again, see home page) and directions on where to park. From this little Corcoran parking lot, you can enter the fenced area or you may head east to bike or walk into Sandy Point.

I parked in the lot on Tydings Road, which you get to by turning onto Log Inn Road, which is the last road before Sandy Point State Park off the “Access Road” along Route 50. See the home page for more details and remember to bring your rubber boots!

The gate at the entrance is left slightly open with chain and lock so only foot traffic is able to pass through. This huge plot of fenced land, over 200 acres, only has the two entrances, but as you walk along the fence line, you see crushed fencing which serves as entry/exit points for people and wildlife.

Forewarned is forearmed

On the map, there is a Nature Trail and various Fire Roads drawn out. After entering the area, finding the Nature Trail was first on my agenda. There are numbered spots on the map which correspond with the numbers shown on the print-out I was given (document by the Native Tree Society). No luck. There were no markings or paths in the woods that I could see to get started, just the Fire Roads. I decided to start my maiden voyage by walking the Fire Road along the fence perimeter, all around the entire area. It took me an hour and 45 minutes. It was a long walk of many miles.

This was a fantastic experience – and I knew from my previous little visits to wear my Muck Boots, which are normally used by me for hunting or the snow. This was extremely important. You cannot enjoy the walk, as you will see from my photos, without rubber boots of some kind, and they better be warm boots in December. I have not walked this in the spring or summer yet, of course, but I can imagine it is not any less saturated with ankle deep water, especially with spring rains. Large parts of the Fire Roads were flooded, maybe 20%, and often there is no avoiding it. As you will see in the photos, there were many interesting details and a lot of conservation work. Large swaths of bamboo were removed plus hundreds of new trees planted in special plastic sleeves, which must have been a great deal of work for state staff and volunteers. I was able to follow many of the numbers on the map with the print-out of the Native Tree Society.  I now know a lot more about the various points of interest, thanks to the thoughtful staff at Sandy Point State Park.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so please continue on and have a look at my photos from the day. There was a lot to see – including deer on both sides of the fence, some of them moving too fast for me to take a photo.